This is the Kind of Pain I Love
by The Genius Mage
Summary: It all started when Sync and Arietta are given orders to down the Albiore in a series of complex valleys. And, unfortunately, boredom leads to a certain God-General playing a nasty trick on Anise...IonxAnise, slight SyncxArietta, three-shot.
1. Like Lambs to the Slaughter

_~*_This is the Kind of Pain I Love_*~_

_We can't play it safe anymore—there's nowhere left to run._

~*X*~

**Part One: Like Lambs to the Slaughter**

**Arching** high into the afternoon sky was the sun, its golden light blazing off of the green-blue of the Fonstone Belt that encircled the entire planet. The red cliffs that towered not far from the Kimlascan seaside city of Sheridan sprawled out across much of the barren continent, ribbed with deep valleys formed from the high walls. Small clusters of trees had braved the interior, along with an ocean-bound river, creating their natural noises of rustling and bubbling.

On a high ledge sat a boy dressed in dark clothes. A yellow mask gleamed, hiding much of his upper face from view. He looked inexorably bored, and yet at the same time, he also seemed disgusted. As if all of life itself was just repulsive to him.

Next to him, on the back of a gigantic Liger that easily stood head and shoulders over the boy, was Arietta. Her eyes were narrowed to scarlet slits, and she was hugging her grotesque stuffed animal to her chest as was the norm.

"Sync," she murmured, scanning the sky. "My monster friends say they're almost here."

"Good. I'm getting tired of waiting."

The Wild peered at the Tempest, and when he glanced up at her, he noticed that she seemed as depressed as ever. Ugh, she was so annoying…he'd not need to wear a mask around the other God-Generals if it weren't for her. Stupid Arietta and her trusting nature…as if the original Fon Master had really fired her! He was _dead_, and she was chasing after one of his Replicas and sitting next to another.

All without knowing. Stupid, stupid girl. If he had been a better person, he would've felt some pity.

One of her freakish bird "friends" was circling overhead, a shaggy black shadow with glinting ivory talons. It shrieked once, loud and clear, causing Sync to wince at the din. Arietta merely tilted her head to the side, listening.

He stood.

"Please remember not to hurt the Fon Master," Arietta pleaded, her Liger turning to face him. The ridge just beneath them rippled, revealing the dark pelts of crag wolves as they prowled, waiting for their mistress's orders.

Sync shrugged. "Tch."

"You _can't_ hurt the Fon Master," she snarled suddenly, her Liger lurching forward so that its heavy breathing hit him in the face.

"You seem more alive when you're angry," he mocked. "Stop your worrying, I'll leave your precious Ion alone."

Arietta blinked at his comment, but she leaned back again and her Liger took a few paw-steps back as well. She opened her mouth to respond to his cryptic remark, but just then her bird shrieked once more. She stared skyward. Sync followed her gaze.

There it was, the Albiore, the fancy flying Fon Machine that they used to get around. The party was on its way to Sheridan, and naturally they had to pass these cliffs considering the direction they had come in. Sync smirked. They'd not be expecting _this_.

"Be careful," Arietta whispered, eyeing the craft worriedly.

Sync's only response was the roared out name of a Daathic Arte. A blast of energy crashed unexpectedly against the Albiore, clipping it hard in the engines. There was a sound like a fire _whooshing_ to life, and then the Fon Machine spiraled downwards towards a patch of trees, just as Sync had predicted.

However the little woodland area was protected by a pointed ring of rocks on all sides. Swearing, certain that Van would have his head if anything happened to his precious sister, Sync barked, "What are you waiting for? _Go_!"

Arietta jumped, startled by his tone. She motioned sharply with a brandish of her hand towards the wreckage, and with a chorus of nightmarish howls, her pack of monsters followed her. Her Liger bounded easily to the front, his bulk dwarfing that of the crag wolves, with his pink-haired passenger riding along easily.

Sync pursed his lips, watching her as she and the monsters streamed down into the valley. Their ambush just might be a success.

A nasty thought entered his head just then, and he _smiled_ at this. Let Arietta and her worthless pets attack the rest of them, _he_ wanted to cause a little havoc of his own.

After all, why let her have all the fun?

The Tempest laughed aloud, scorn heavy in his tone, springing lightly down the stone precipice as if he was a mountain cat.

~*X*~

Anise had no idea what had just happened. One moment they had been flying along, just fine, and the next Noelle had been shouting that something had hit them and they were going _down_.

She woke up with a dreadful headache, which burned delicately against her mind. It hurt just to force her eyes open. The girl groaned and curled in on herself, reaching with blind fingers for a familiar grip on her shoulder.

Tokunaga was still there, she could feel the firm softness of his paw. Good. Her staff was still strapped to her back as well.

Glad that _some_ things were in order at least, Anise lay there, breathing hard and trying to regain her bearings. Just then she heard a low moan, and she sat up, gritting her teeth and urging the cloud of darkness hanging around the edges of her vision to go away.

"What the hell?" She slurred, her tongue reluctant to touch down properly. The syllables sounded distorted, coming out of her mouth. When she swallowed, she tasted blood. Suddenly, with a dreadful jolt that made her heart pound, she remembered. "Ion!" Anise hopped to her feet, but all she succeeded in doing was making the cloud of darkness become an impenetrable fog. She collapsed, disoriented, onto her back. "Ow…"

"Anise? Is that you?" A female voice called wearily.

"Noelle?" The Fon Master Guardian forced herself to sit upright, reminding herself that she was a bodyguard separated from her charge and that was _the_ worst thing ever. Well, besides the fact that she was also a spy but that was beside the point right now.

Anise at last managed to make out her surroundings. Red-brown cliff walls soared towards the sky, and already the sunlight was weaker down here in the valleys. Tough, green, veined plants clung to the walls and twined around the trees that were hunkered down to the stone. A few sparse wildflowers poked out of the hard-packed ground, and bundles of briar and thorn bristled threateningly in the most unexpected of places.

She pivoted her head and noticed Noelle, who was clinging to a scrawny trunk with both gloved hands. One of the lenses on her goggles was broken, and a scratch on her cheek bled profusely. "Are you okay?" The pilot asked, brows furrowed.

"No, but I'll live." No time for complaining. "Where's Ion? Have you seen Ion? Or anyone else?"

Noelle shook her head, and then grimaced, clearly regretting it. She pointed down the valley, where a stream of black smoke indicated the Albiore. It was mostly intact, but the murk billowing up from it didn't look good at all. "They must have fallen out."

"Oh no." Anise stood up, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from whimpering. She hurt in places she didn't even know _could_ hurt. "S-Stay here, I'll go look for the others."

"Are you sure? You look like you might need to rest for—"

"There's no time! I'll be back." Anise didn't wait for a reply; she just dashed off down the canyon, following an old game trail that looked like it had seen the touch of many hooves. Every time she put her foot down, a vibration shuddered through her body, which made her head ache even more.

She took a corner and was halfway down another "road" when a familiar voice shouted, "Anise! Anise, over here!"

She skidded to a halt, all of her scrapes and bruises forgotten. "Ion! Where are you?"

"This way!"

Anise whirled around in a full circle, perplexed, until she spotted a tangle of ferns that were attempting to hide another side trail from view. She pushed the plants aside, eyes narrowed against the stuffy spores that they released. "Ion?"

It was a clearing, completely devoid of any vegetation besides that which already lined the only way out. The cliffs were even bare of any vines. The stone was flat though, promising good purchase during a fight, and she noted that there were butterflies flitting from one ray of sunshine to another. Apparently the scruffy moss was appealing to them.

"I—" She started, only to be silenced by a screaming pain that seared its way across her shoulder. She had never been in more pain than in that single moment in time. She would have sobbed in relief when it was over—though it had only taken a second—when she spotted a familiar head of green hair.

He smirked at her.

"Sync!" She snarled, releasing her agonized grip on her shoulder. Swiftly, Anise mounted Tokunaga and grinned at the exhilarating rush of power she felt. Tokunaga's Fon Technology was programmed to react to her personal Fonons, and right now they were joined almost as a single being—a puppet, and a puppeteer.

"Some Guardian you are," he sneered, not at all intimidated. "You've lost Ion already?"

"Shut up! It was you that made us crash, wasn't it?"

"Very good," he responded sardonically. Light flashed off of his golden mask. "And _I'm_ here to take you out, since Arietta is taking care of the rest right now."

"Gloomietta is here?" Anise flinched. This wasn't good, this definitely was not good. She couldn't take Sync alone on a _good_ day, let alone on a day where their freaking flying machine was _shot out of the sky_.

"Are you stupid as well as gullible? I just said that. Now…you die!" Sync dashed at her, blindingly fast, and Anise hastily sprang backwards. Tokunaga dug his paws into the ground and obeyed her whims, catapulting them a safe distance away.

Sync snarled and tried to deliver a flurry of kicks and punches, but Tokunaga raised his broad arms and blocked the blows. Anise countered by getting her stuffed animal to pound the ground as hard as he could, but the Tempest managed to avoid the blow.

_Please…no more…_She was exhausted, her head hurt, and damn it Arietta was off attacking Luke and the rest. She had no time for this! But she couldn't run—Sync was far faster. Was she really trapped?

"Negative Gate!" Anise commanded, causing a pool of dark energy to claw its way into existence. The sudden, spontaneous casting caught Sync off-guard, and he grunted as he was caught in the shadowy spring.

He got to his feet again, cracking his knuckles. "Not bad! How about this! Gravity Well!"

Anise hastened to get away, but the spell was one of a wide range. The enchantment quickly ensnared her, and she screamed as the rush of power stripped her of her senses for a few moments.

Sync darted close, but that was his mistake, she was still conscious enough to take a swipe at him. A supercharged punch from Tokunaga made the God-General fly backwards, but he landed on his feet. He was no longer smiling, though, his stance rigid.

"I'm done playing."

"I've only gotten started," Anise panted. Regardless she started inching towards the exit.

He noticed this, and laughed cruelly. Something about his voice rang in her ears longer than it should have. "We're through! Akashic—"

_Oh no not his Mystic Arte!_ She'd not have a chance of surviving.

"O heavenly powers that be, bring thy judgment down upon the wicked! Divine Blaze!"

A pillar of white fire, pierced through with halo-like rings of light, shot up into the sky from an incantation circle that abruptly appeared beneath the Tempest's feet. He was _completely_ caught unawares, as was Anise herself, and she could only stare open-mouthed as Sync careened up before landing heavily with a groan.

The voice was familiar, the one who had said the chant, but…Anise whipped around and spotted Ion on his knees near the fern patch. His V-shaped staff was clutched tight in both hands, and his face was paler than she had ever seen it.

"Ion!" She hurried towards him, momentarily forgetting all about Sync as she dismounted Tokunaga. The stuffed cat slumped over and obediently waited for her to reclaim her place. The Fon Master Guardian placed her hands on his shoulders, crouching so that they were at the same level.

His smile was wan, but his emerald eyes sparkled. "A-Anise…"

"You _know_ you're not supposed to use Daathic Fonic Artes! Don't put yourself in danger for me!" She scolded angrily.

"I'm sorry."

The ferocity in her gaze softened. "But…Ion? Thanks."

"Aww, how touching," Sync scoffed behind her.

Anise was on Tokunaga faster than anyone could blink. She lunged at him, but Tokunaga missed, his paws leaving a small dent in the rock. Slivers of shrapnel flew everywhere from the impact.

The Tempest had back-flipped to evade the strike, and now he landed lightly on the balls of his feet. "Is that all?"

Burning with righteous indignation—she'd show that smug jerk!—Anise pounced. Sync did everything he could to dodge her, and for a while he was successful, since all of her attacks ended up _just_ missing him. However, he also couldn't find any time to land any blows of his own.

Infuriated, Anise let out a shrill scream and distracted Sync with a speedy Negative Gate. The spell made him leap to the side—and she caught him between Tokunaga's wide front paws, like a cat would snare a mouse.

"I'll kill you, you _bastard_!" No one, absolutely _no one_, was allowed to put Ion in any danger but her. Sync was about to try an Arte of some sort, but Anise didn't let him. An untamed energy devoured her whole being. "O Ravaging Tragedy!" She delivered a devastatingly fast storm of punches. "Let's finish this! Final Fury!" An explosion of darkness, licked with tongues of light, claimed the God-General. She finished by grabbing his legs and flinging him into the farthest wall.

She was breathing heavily, Tokunaga moving just as sluggishly as she was as her tiredness began to catch up with her again. "Had enough?"

Sync got back to his feet, but she noted with some satisfaction that he was trembling. Clearly shaken up this time, the Tempest squared his shoulders. "Tch," he muttered. "I won't fight you two on one, not with _him_." He shot Ion an angry look as the Fon Master came up to stand beside her, all of his weight resting on his staff. Then he turned and, _impossibly_, scaled the cliff wall, his boots finding hidden footholds that she couldn't even believe anyone could use.

Just like that, as fast as he had come, he was gone.

Anise shrunk Tokunaga and let her toy-weapon clutch her shoulders. Then, slowly, she turned to Ion and smiled.

"That was amazing Anise," her friend told her, eyes wide.

"That? Heh, that's just what…Fon Master Guardians…" She never got to finish. The girl's eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed on the ground in a bleeding heap.

"Anise!"


	2. A Precious Feeling

**Part Two: A Precious Feeling**

**Worried**, Ion crouched beside his injured companion. He pressed his fingers to her pulse, checking her throat and wrists. Reassured by the strength of the beats, he brushed her dark hair out of her eyes. He was trembling, out of both anxiety and his own weakness ever since he had cast that Daathic Arte.

Oh, how he wished he had Sync's durability when it came to Daathic Artes…he'd be so much more useful then…

"Anise? You need to wake up, you have to eat this." He pulled out an Apple Gel and held the sticky sweet substance to her lips. "It will give you the strength you need. Anise, please!"

She stirred slightly and groaned.

What he wouldn't give to be a Seventh Fonist. "Anise!"

Ion blinked in surprise as she grabbed his shoulder, her fingers digging into his robe, pulling herself into a sitting position. She almost instantly slumped against him, and the Fon Master carefully repositioned her so she could lean more comfortably. Her blood was staining his white robes, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "Here." He offered her the Gel, and her eyes focused blearily on it. Taking it from him, she nibbled the edges, making a face. A slash on her cheek was weeping red.

"Thank you, for protecting me." Ion told his Guardian solemnly. He gave her an affectionate one-armed hug, being mindful of her wounds as he did so.

Anise had already devoured half the Gel—she looked better. Or at least her gaze was more focused now. She mustered a smile. "It's my job, isn't it?"

"Nevertheless," Ion replied. The Fon Master didn't keep many items on him, but fortunately Anise did have a few tucked away in her pockets. One of the other uses for Gels would be their medicinal properties when applied externally. While nowhere near as effective as healing Artes, they would dry up and help stop bleeding and infection.

There was a reason they cost one hundred Gald just for one blob of jelly the size of your palm.

Ion carefully spread an Apple Gel across a slash on her arm, speaking as he did so. "Do you know where the others are?"

Anise frowned, holding her outstretched appendage steady. "I know where the Albiore is, and Noelle, but Luke and the rest…" She shook her head. "Bad news, Ion. Gloomietta is here too."

Ah, the female God-General was in the canyons as well? Most unfortunate…He still hoped he could talk some sense into her, he didn't find her quite so bad. "We need to find our friends as soon as we can."

"Yup," Anise drawled as she stood up, stretching her arms over head head until the joints popped.

Ion rose as well, concern evident on his young face. "Are you sure you can walk? Do you need to rest?"

She waved him off. "We don't have time! Let's go!" She took a few steps and then promptly stumbled. Ion rushed to catch her, feeling pretty shaky himself still. Fatigue ate at the edges of his vision, but he gritted his teeth, resisting its dark allure of rest. If Anise could still stand after the beating she took from Sync, not even fully healed after the crash, he could take some tiredness.

Anise had one arm slung over his shoulders, and her breaths came quick and hard.

"Can you use Tokunaga still?" queried Ion worriedly.

The puppeteer shrugged. "I don't know, I don't think so…" At his flummoxed look, she went on. "It takes energy to operate him, not a lot but…"

She weighed less than he thought. Ion readjusted his grip on her as he continued to support his Guardian. "I think we should stay here then, until you're strong enough to use Tokunaga at least. What if we get attacked by—"

"No, let's _go_." Anise pulled her arm back but continued leaning against him. "Gloomietta and Sync could be attacking the rest right now!"

Ion studied her shining brown eyes and knew that she wasn't going to back down. "Very well," he sighed. "But slowly."

She nodded at that, and the two friends started towards the exit to the dead-end valley, their movements careful and precise.

It was nice, Ion thought, to be able to help his Guardian for once. Normally he never was of much use.

~*X*~

Arietta paced back and forth on her big brother Liger—(or to be more accurate, _he_ paced and she rode)—clutching her doll tightly. Her pink-red eyes were narrowed in anger, and she sat stiffly, like a queen on her throne. Several of her monsters lounged around on the cliff ledge, licking their wounds and dozing off, but the God-General merely went on waiting.

One of her bird sentries that had survived the battle squawked overhead, and Arietta instantly understood the message, as did her Liger. He stopped and pulled himself up high so that he towered over the rest of the rabble even more than usual.

A very battered, but oddly grinning, Sync the Tempest hauled himself over a rock that was hiding the monster group from view. He dropped down lithely, wincing as an apparent injury in his leg protested against the action. He looked up and stiffened as he noticed Arietta's quiet look of unrestrained fury.

Then, inexplicably, she pounced. She was infuriated, dropping her precious stuffed animal even as she surged towards him, leaving her Liger behind. She swiped at his face, her sharp nails creating five new bleeding scratches on his cheek.

"Sync!" She screamed, anger boiling within her. "I _said_ don't hurt Master Ion!"

Sync looked taken aback. "What are you talking about?" He demanded.

"My monster friend…" Arietta took in a deep breath and shook her head. She hadn't lost control like that since she had been newly "tamed", back when…it hurt just to think about. "He says Ion had blood on his robes, and he looked like he could barely stand."

"That's _his_ fault," Sync growled, putting a hand on his cheek and checking his glove for blood. There was a lot of it. He scowled.

"What do you mean?" Arietta asked. When she got no response, she kept insisting until he snarled a reply.

"Your precious Fon Master used a Daathic Fonic Arte on me. He tired _himself_ out; _I_ didn't touch a green hair on his stupid little head."

"Don't talk about Ion like that," Arietta the Wild reminded him, but her eyes gleamed with relief. That was good, the Master was fine. It must have been Anise's blood on his robes…she frowned. Did she really want to kill Anise…? Not yet, not really, she just wanted her job back.

"Looks like you lost," Sync sneered as he saw the bleeding monsters behind her. Arietta turned to her friends and gave them all a reassuring, thankful smile.

Facing her companion again, she shook her head, pink tresses swaying. "We'd not have lost if _you_ had shown up like you said!"

Sync just smirked at her accusing tone. "Relax, will you? I went to put a Curse Slot on Anise."

Arietta didn't know what a Curse Slot was exactly, but it sounded bad. She gave a little smile that showed her sharp canines.

"Your monsters don't look to be in _too_ bad a shape," Sync observed.

"I ordered us to retreat." She padded to the edges of the ridge and gazed out over the valley, dotted with green. She imagined Master Ion somewhere out there, with _Anise_, and she felt her face shift with worry.

"Have they regrouped?"

Arietta nodded.

"Well." Sync punched one fist into his glove, smiling nastily. She didn't even have to look to know it was there. "Let's get them again tomorrow, they won't be expecting it."

Curiously, she peeked at him. "Why tomorrow? Why not tonight?"

The masked God-General pointed up at the sky, where ominous gray storm clouds gathered. "They won't be going anywhere."

Satisfied, she hummed in agreement. Something occurred to her, at that moment. "Sync?"

"What?"

"Will Anise enjoy the Curse Slot?"

Sync saw past the innocence in her voice. His lips pulled back in a sneer. "Oh, she'll have the best time of her life, I guarantee it."

Arietta the Wild gave a shark-toothed grin.

~*X*~

Ion laughed and Anise joined in, giggling along with him.

"I love Mama and Papa," Anise went on, wiping away an imaginary tear of mirth. "But they're _so_ easy to trick it's not even funny."

He tilted his head to the side in response to the sudden hardening of her eyes as she said that last bit. At his inquisitive stare, she merely smiled, leaving him to wonder if he had imagined it.

They were wandering down the valley pathways, slowly but surely making their way back to Noelle. The paths that Anise had rushed down earlier seemed to take three times as long to traverse. Ion was exhausted, his limbs trembling like a leaf in the gale. Anise had recovered, and she was holding him up now instead of the other way around, like it had been previously.

"Are you sure you don't want to rest?" Anise asked him anxiously, her voice losing the joviality it had held during her story. Her brown eyes were unusually gentle.

Ion met her gaze, and then shook his head, summoning a smile. "I'm fine," he lied even as something unexpected happened.

He coughed.

The Fon Master doubled over, coughing so much that he couldn't take in any air. His lungs ached and darkness chewed away at his vision, leaving him a ragged circle to see out of. The world spun and the green-haired boy felt as if he was about to collapse onto the soil. Anise lowered him to the ground, and he curled up against her shoulder, trying in vain to breathe.

"Ion! Ion, are you okay?" Anise's panicking was understandable. He had never had an attack like this before.

The Replica was suddenly reminded of one of his few encounters with his Original. The Original had had the same cough, the same pale face he was certain that he bore also, at least at this moment. The Original had died from the mysterious illness. Ion knew he didn't have the same disease, but the overexertion of his Seventh Fonons must be…

"Can we…find somewhere…?"

"To rest? Yeah, sure! I'll…um…it's not safe out here, Ion." Gears turned in her head. "I've got an idea!" She declared with a bit more of her old energy than before. Tokunaga blossomed to his full size in a spray of glowing Fonons, and Anise forced him to kneel at an awkward angle on his short legs. "You can ride Tokunaga, and I'll find us somewhere safe to sleep for the night."

"Didn't you…aren't you worried about Luke and the others?" Ion rasped. He felt a bit steadier, and his heart was starting to ease its frantic thumping. Still, he continued to sit there in the grass, head tilted back to survey the sky. Angry leaden storm clouds were swirling above them.

"Yeah, but face it Ion, we're in no condition for a fight." Anise ran a hand through her dark hair, following his emerald gaze to the heavens. "Oh _great_! Just what we need! Rain!" She groaned and stamped a foot in a childish fit of anger. Shaking her head so hard that her pigtails swung, she gestured at Tokunaga. "C'mon I'll help you on. Let's find somewhere to rest."

_It wasn't a childish fit_, Ion corrected himself as he sat cradled in Tokunaga's arms. He would've felt slightly embarrassed, but he was too tired to care. Besides, Anise rode this thing all the time, right? His Guardian had her arms crossed, her actions causing her puppet to do the same. She squared her small shoulders and kept walking. _She's only twelve…_

_And I'm only two._

"A cave," Ion remarked after a few minutes had passed in silence. Anise shoved a briar tendril out of her way, only slightly wincing as the thorns pricked her palms. "There must be one somewhere along these walls."

"Good idea, let's get off the path." Her tone signified how lowly she thought of this, but in the end she hopped onto Tokunaga and took up her usual place. He noticed her shoulders were starting to sag a few minutes into the wilder areas of the stony valley.

It took energy to operate her doll, did it not? The sooner they found shelter the better.

Ion felt sleepy. He knew this had the potential to be dreadfully dangerous so he was careful to keep his eyes open, rolling his staff between both hands to keep some part of his body busy. The absent motions helped to clear his mind.

He looked up at his Guardian, who was clutching Tokunaga's ears and staring off into the straggly vegetation, her stare savaging the rock walls as if they held great treasure. A rush of affection for her swept throughout his entire body. His Guardian, he had picked her well…

Ion still recalled how he had first met her. He recalled that it had been _her_ that had first made him laugh. He had been a newborn Replica at the time, and Anise had been there for many of _his firsts_. His first snowfall, his first birthday—(not that she knew this)—his first winter holiday…

And she thought him the Original. Oh she must have never directly met his Original if he thought him to be _him_. The Original had had such an emotionless smile, little more than the baring of teeth, and an intimidating darkness hiding behind his eyes.

Thunder rumbled overhead, and Ion blinked up at the sky in time to get a fat rain droplet on his nose. It was warmer than he expected, and the tiniest of breezes stirred the plants in the high-walled canyons. The light dimmed, nearly extinguished, and lightning surged across the sky with a wild snarl.

He remembered his first storm—Anise had giggled as he jumped up from his desk with a yelp at the booming…

The water dripping from above increased into a drizzle, and_ that_ promised to become a veritable torrent if they didn't find shelter soon.

"There!" Anise sounded relieved, and Tokunaga picked up his pace until, following the unfortunate eradication of some dried up ferns, they ducked inside of a cavern.

It was large and wide inside, the ceiling was only a foot above of Tokunaga's head. Ion got off and Anise shrunk her stuffed animal again, slinging him onto her back. She slouched over, and he offered her his hand, helping her regain her balance.

"Thanks," she muttered, looking more exhausted than he had ever seen her.

"Let's go to the back," he invited, watching his Guardian closely for signs of fainting. They managed to get to the very rear of the cave, and they sat down close together, completely and utterly worn out. Ion felt like he could nod off at any moment, and Anise's head was resting on his shoulder.

The rainstorm howled outside, and soon they couldn't see anything at all past their safe haven. The red-brown stone was smoother than any of them had expected, and the only other living creature in the cave was a dozing bat in the upper left corner. It paid them no mind.

"Thank you, Anise. I know I must make you worry a lot," Ion apologized once his body was no longer trembling. He still imagined that if he went to sleep now, he'd be knocked out for a moon's cycle.

"S'okay," she mumbled, eyes half-way closed. He saw her smile. "Stop apologizing, it's my job, right Ion? And besides…you're…" She trailed off, and he decided to attribute that to her weariness.

(Even though he swore that she had a tear on her face, but maybe it was a stray raindrop?)

Ion hesitated, and then he pushed his fingers through hers, their hands already touching on the lukewarm rock beneath them. Color flooded her cheeks but Ion just smiled.

"It's too early to go to sleep," Anise grouched, surprising him by sitting up and meeting his gaze. Her brown eyes gleamed in the semidarkness. "Do you think the Colonel and Luke and the rest are okay?"

"I'm sure they're fine, they have Tear and Natalia after all to heal them, and Guy is very observant."

A sudden noise made Ion pause and look out into the gloom, but all he saw in the gray was more gray. Perhaps…a sound from the storm, and that was all?

Perhaps…

~*X*~

Sync may have been called the Tempest but by no means did he enjoy being _out_ in one. Despite his qualms with the weather (and the world in general) the God-General tramped around the valley, following the energy trail of his Curse Slot that he had implanted on Anise's shoulder, just like the one he had stamped onto Guy.

For once he didn't mind his golden mask; it offered his eyes some protection from the gale. He trotted towards a smooth cave that sliced into the stone wall at a low angle, crouching down near to the ground and slinking along like one of Arietta's Ligers. The female God-General was back at their base, tending to her precious monsters and completely unaware that he was about to activate the Curse Slot right now.

She'd likely have a fit anyway, but this was something that Sync wanted to see alone…and he also would just _love_ to see Ion's reaction to his Guardian…

The notion made Sync smirk to himself, and he ended up snapping a branch under his boot. He stiffened, and he saw Ion's green gaze swing around to stare at him. Fortunately, the seventh Replica's eyes were searching but unseeing. The God-General was too engulfed by the warm rain drip-dropping all around him to be seen.

As "Ion" looked away, returning to his conversation with his Guardian, Sync opened the palm of his hand wide as he sidestepped into the shadow of a high reaching valley plant that offered some protection from the deluge.

His fist closed with a momentary flash and a _snap_!

~*X*~

Ion didn't understand it. One moment Anise was talking to him normally, and then her shoulder let off a glaring purple shine.

_It couldn't be…_

He stared at the snaking sigil glowing on her skin in horror.

_A Curse Slot!_

Anise's words stopped mid-sentence. Her entire body went slack and he saw the intelligent light fade from her chocolate gaze to be replaced with something baser, _primal_. She was staring at him blankly, as blankly as the other Ion Replicas had looked at one another when they had been "born".

"Anise…?"

Suddenly, she lunged at him. Ion gasped, reaching for his staff, not sure what to expect. It certainly wasn't _this_.

Her mouth was on his, her fingers tangling themselves in his hair, and in his shock he ended up dropping his staff again. The clink sounded overly loud compared to the monotonous drone of the rain outside.

Ion knew very well what kisses were, had seen plenty of them, but had never experienced one himself. Another _first_ that she had shared with him—a kiss. But still, even though some part of him he hated to admit found it enjoyable, his whole being agreed this _wasn't right_. It shouldn't have been like this, if they were Scored to kiss, and fall in love, then it should be because of natural causes and not because of a Curse Slot.

And he knew only one person other than himself that could use such a dreadful Daathic Arte. This was even one of the forbidden ones, but the Original had always liked such things…

As gently as he could, Ion pried Anise off of him and held her back by her small shoulders. She whimpered his name in such a pitiful way that he almost let her go, but the Fon Master shut his ears off to her pleas and said in a cold voice that he had never used before, "Sync. I know you're out there."

Silence.

"Sync!" Ion tentatively shifted one of his hands so that it covered the Curse Slot. He could remove it, but it would probably take every single one of his remaining Seventh Fonons if he did…and that meant death. No, he would need to rest first and he _had no time_.

A shadow detached itself from the tumult outside and approached. Ion's eyes narrowed to slits as he beheld Sync the Tempest watching with cruel amusement.

"Having fun?" The God-General drawled.

Ion readjusted his grip on Anise before she got free, and the sad sound she made caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. "Why would you do this to her?"

"It's _hilarious_, that's why." Sync put one hand on his hip, and the other whipped his mask off. His face was a mirror image of his own, and Ion knew who he was, had always suspected since before he had even met Luke.

"Your quarrel is with me, let Anise go," he ordered evenly.

"You're in no position to be telling _me_ what to do!" Sync's eyes blazed emerald fire. "Huh, she's so pathetic. I activate a Curse Slot on her and it turns out she's in _love_ with you." He drew the word out like it was gum and spat the last syllable as if it were poison.

In love…with him? The thought made his heart flutter happily, but this was still the wrong way to have found out. He hugged the girl close to him anyway, and she relaxed into his hold, still unable to say anything other than his name. Which she did, as a low whisper into his shirt.

"There is nothing wrong with love, Sync. What do you want?" Ion wondered idly which Daathic Arte he could use without killing himself.

Sync's smile was cold, but it still held more emotion than the Original's. The Original was the one that Arietta loved, and Ion wondered if she could sense anything of him in Sync. "Oh, nothing." Another bout of frigid laughter. "Even if she _loves_ you, she _cares_ for someone else more. Two someones."

Confused, Ion asked, "What do you mean?"

Sync took a step back. "Well I've learned something interesting today. I've had my fun. But I'll pay you back for that Divine Blaze from earlier," he threatened.

Ion's only reply was a hard stare.

"That's the most _Ion_-like look that you've ever managed to accomplish in your pathetic life."

"At least I've managed to accomplish _something_."

Sync snarled in fury and lunged, his fist millimeters from Ion's expressionless face. "What did you say? It's true I'm not fit to replace the Original, but at least I've made my own life! You've done nothing but steal someone else's! You're impersonating a dead boy!"

The God-General inexplicably retreated. He was gripping his mask so tightly that Ion imagined it would snap to pieces soon.

"Sync…"

"Shut up! I know what you're about to say!" Sync shoved his mask back on and then he waved his hand. A pulse of energy removed the Curse Slot from Anise's shoulder. Following that, the Tempest vanished into the rain.

Ion stared at his Guardian in wonder. Sync could remove Curse Slots far easier than he could, since he lacked the restriction that hindered him so. Still, the strain had to be immense. What did he possibly gain from stamping Anise with one? Was it an effort to drive him and her apart? Something else entirely? "Anise? Are you all right?"

Her eyes had light in them again, but they also looked foggy. "Ugh…what happened…?"

"Rest," Ion urged, guiding her down on her side. "Something…came up."

"A…ah my head hurts…"

"Rest," he repeated softly. "All will be well in the morning."


	3. If Only

**Part Three: If Only**

**Arietta** was livid. He left her again! Why did he always _do_ that? She had wanted to see what the Curse Slot had done to Anise…

More importantly, Sync hadn't shown up in time to catch Luke and the rest before Noelle fixed the Albiore, and now the entire party was healed-up and searching for Ion and his Guardian.

"Where _were_ you?" Arietta fumed, lounging on her Liger. She was practically strangling her doll in her fury.

Sync dusted himself off, obviously more concerned about grit on his clothes than about her. "It was bad enough climbing _down_ last night, let alone climbing _up_," he scoffed. "I decided to camp somewhere down there."

The Wild clapped a hand to her face before shaking her head. "Never mind. Let's just report back to Van."

"That's it? I expected to be chewed out," he replied cheekily.

"Don't tempt me," Arietta muttered, lightly urging her Liger to turn around. Sync stepped with an easy grace to her side as the rest of the monsters gathered. "So," she said louder. "What did the Curse Slot do?"

"It made Anise show her hidden feelings. I was bored," he added, shrugging at her curious look.

Her brows furrowed. "What…what happened?"

"What do you care?" Sync stalked off. "C'mon let's just get out of here, I'm sick of this damn place."

Arietta jumped off of her Liger and hurried after him. "What happened, Sync?"

He eyed her balefully. "Worried that your precious Ion might return her affections?"

"S-Shut up! What would you know about—"

"I'll tell you later. You're so easy to anger, it's pathetic." He ruffled her hair roughly and dashed off. "Follow or get left behind!"

Arietta froze as a powerful rush of nostalgia claimed her senses. For a moment, all she could think of was Ion, smiling at her in that amused way of his, patting her head like Sync had just done.

She shook off the strange feeling like a dog might water, and soon she and her monsters were leaving the valley in a furry stream.

The rising sun chased the last of the clouds away.

~*X*~

Anise awoke in the morning feeling much better, but whenever she tried to think about last night, all she could remember was a fuzzy, hot darkness that made her skin feel warm. Shaking her head to clear it, she roused Ion and they promptly set off into the misty valley to find their long-lost companions.

Ion looked well. The color had returned to his face and his eyes were bright, if distracted. Anise didn't need to use Tokunaga to give them a lift, since they were making good time on foot.

Still…

"Ion?"

"Yes, Anise?"

"What happened last night?"

He hesitated and then admitted, "Sync put a Curse Slot on you."

"_What_?"

"It brought out your base desires," Ion continued to explain, looking more and more uncomfortable. "And…"

Anise felt her heart begin to thud crazily. "And…?" She was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"You…kissed me…" Ion paused. "And I removed the Seal before anything else could happen."

The memories started to flow back. Though they were indistinct and chaotic, she _did_ remember that everything had seemed surreal and hyper-sensitive…and she had given Ion a _deep_ kiss.

Her face flamed. "Oh my God," she moaned, burying her head in her hands. "Kill me now!"

He blinked at her sympathetically. "It's all right, Anise."

"No it's not!" Oh the embarrassment, the…the…she was too frazzled to think properly. She wanted to crawl into a hole and bury herself alive. No way…no _way_…

Ion put a hand on her shoulder, and Anise shied away from his touch. Not only was she a backstabbing lying traitor-spy, but she was also apparently in _love_ with Ion, a fact that even _she_ wasn't fully aware of. Or at least hadn't been until now.

The more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed. And the more it hurt to spy for Mohs.

"Anise…" Ion's green gaze was warm on her skin, and she shut her eyes tight as if to destroy the feeling.

"Anise! Ion!" A familiar voice shouted. Footsteps thundered their way. "Found them! There they are!"

Guy appeared around a sharp bend in the path, stuck all over with brambles but not seeming to mind. His grin was relieved."Am I glad to see you two!"

"Guy! How are the others?" Ion inquired, resting against his staff with his usual kind smile.

"We're fine, just worried sick about you two. Come on, this way. You won't believe what's happened."

Anise and Ion exchanged glances before following the blonde servant back to the Albiore. The craft was up and running again. Noelle was perched on top, adding some finishing touches to the roof.

Luke charged up to Anise and hugged her. Putting her back down, he cocked his head to the side. "Hey, you're covered in blood but you're not bleeding!"

"She's hurt? Let me see," Tear urged, following the redhead at a more sedated pace. The one blue eye that Anise could see past her hair was gleaming with friendly concern. "You've patched yourself up," she noted with a tinge of bewilderment.

"Ion's fine too," Natalia reported, patting the Fon Master on the shoulder. Her expression was just as relieved as Guy's. "I'm glad everyone is all right."

"Anise, I've not seen you since you ran off yesterday," Noelle remarked, leaping off of the Albiore with surprising agility. "I was worried!"

"Oh I wouldn't be," Jade commented lightly from the vestiges of the fretting group. He pushed his glasses up and smiled knowingly at Anise. "There isn't anything that'd stop Anise from fetching her charge, I'd wager."

"Weren't you worried at _all_ Colonel?" Tear asked.

"Of course I was. I couldn't sleep at night from the anxiety."

"Boo," Anise hissed good-naturedly. She fixed her attentions onto Ion, despite the uncomfortable weight that had settled in her stomach. "Are you okay, Ion?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Anise. Did you know she took Sync on all by herself?" Pride colored his voice.

"Not true! Ion used a Daathic Arte on him!"

Luke scratched his hair. "Really? We took on Arietta and a pack of wolves."

"And a Liger," Guy put in.

"C'mon, let's take the conversations inside! We've got to get to Sheridan!" Noelle urged, opening the door to the Albiore with a wide grin.

"Great job on the repairs!" Natalia cheered as the pilot blushed.

"Oh? This? It was nothing."

"I do believe," Jade observed whilst stroking his chin. "That this boulder will unbalance the Albiore if it tried to lift off now."

"Must've gone in through the roof…" Noelle rubbed the back of her head nervously.

Anise grabbed Tokunaga from her back. "I've got it."

~*X*~

The flight to Sheridan found Anise and Ion sitting in the back whilst the others chattered away.

There was a new _strangeness_ between the two friends. It made Anise tongue-tied, though Ion seemed immune to it. She kept Tokunaga on her lap and fiddled with his paws, eyes faraway as she tried to plunge through the hazy memories of her period underneath the Curse Slot's influence.

Ion surprised her by leaning close so that only she could hear. "You don't have to feel nervous, Anise." His green eyes were friendly.

She looked away. "What're you talking about? I'm _fine_."

He put a hand on hers to stop her toying with Tokunaga. She drew her hands back and he sighed in exasperation. "You don't have to feel nervous," he repeated. "Because I think I feel that way for you too."

Her heart ceased its beating for three long seconds, and then went into overdrive to make up for it. "W-W-_What_?"

Ion only smiled and looked out the window, humming a Fonic Hymn of Tear's to himself.

Anise wished it could be that simple between them. Sure she was only twelve and he was only fourteen, but they couldn't…she thought that being with Ion would be wonderful, but…

She hugged Tokunaga to her chest. She was spying for Mohs. It'd be horrible to say she loved Ion…to hold his hand, and then keep betraying him like this. It was a choice between a rock and a hard place—Fon Master Ion, or her parents, Pamela and Oliver. No, this pain was good. This was the kind of pain she loved.

It would remind her that she and Ion were never meant to be.

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry for any inconsistencies with the characters or plot, I sort of wrote this up on a whim. If you liked it, I would really appreciate a review!_


End file.
